Automata secures USD 40M funding for its automated lab robots

London-headquartered MedTech company Automata has picked up $40M (£33M) in fresh funding for its automated lab robots.

Writing via a post on its website, CEO and co-founder Mostafa ElSayed said he predicts the company will install five times the amount of robots compared to last year.

Its LINQ lab automation benches, designed for wet labs, are estimated to be operational for 20 times more hours in 2023.

Founded in 2015, its robots are used by reference labs, hospitals and “global biopharma and biotech”.

“At Automata, we felt that promise was hampered by the lack of innovation and product development happening in lab automation, leaving scientists reliant on custom integrations, point solutions and increasingly inadequate software and infrastructure,” said ElSayed.

The medical robot startup’s round was led by Dimension, with AP Moller, Octopus Ventures, Isomer Capital, Hummingbird Ventures, Possible Ventures and Aldea Ventures taking part.

ElSayed, added: “This will allow Automata to continue to focus on our increasingly global deployments – especially in the US – as well as scaling our investments to build a category-defining lab automation platform.”

The use of robots within the medical field is something that is also being explored by Cambridge-based CMR Surgical, which recently raised £133m.

In July, Automata partnered with an NHS trust for its robots to conduct cancer testing. UKTN